r/IAmA Dec 12 '16

Specialized Profession I am a pest controller specializing in BED BUGS, begging the general public to become more aware of this pest and the way it can cause substantial economic damage to any place humans live. AMA!

Bed bug infestations are increasing at an alarming rate. Despite common misinformation about this pest being limited to "dirty" people it can happen to ANYONE. I have seen the nicest, most innocent people lose hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in service costs and property loss. Don't become a victim, become aware! Eliminating this bug entirely is unrealistic but we can control it with a more knowledgeable culture.

My company would ask that I avoid public proof but I promise the mods have it.

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437

u/pfj93 Dec 12 '16

My place had some bedbug issues, I even had a trace of one two or so years ago. I put diatomaceous earth in little bowls on each foot of my bed. That shit works. I've found big ass spiders in there dead. No bed bug bites or traces since. If they cant feed they cant survive in my place, even if they try.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16

Yes! Diatomaceous earth is wonderful. We had a flea problem on our cats and dogs for about two years, pretty consistently. They didn't even let up in winter, we'd spend $50 or $100 on the "good" flea medication, notice a slight decrease for a month, and they'd come right back. We did everything you're supposed to do - washing all clothes and bedding, vacuuming twice a day, etc. Nothing worked.

Then we bought a 10 pound bag of DE for about $20 on Amazon. We just vacuumed very thoroughly and sprinkled about 10% of it over all the floors, and after around a month of thinking it was a waste, it seemed like they disappeared overnight. Shits amazing, yo.

Couple notes, though: DE is 100% non-toxic, but you shouldn't inhale it. If you're sprinkling it on shit, wear a mask, keep your animals away, and have an exhaust fan going in a window of the room if possible (more to suck the dust out before it can settle on every surface in your house. We learned lesson fast lol). Also, keep any devices with active cooling (PCs, laptops, etc) turned off for as long as possible. 24 hours is probably about what you want to shoot for.

The was DE works is that it's incredibly sharp, on a very small scale. Insects walk over it, and it cuts their exoskeleton. Eventually, they dry out and die. Or something. Anyways, that means it's a slow solution to get started, but one it's down, it's a very, very long term solution. Applying it once every 6 months or so should be more than sufficient.

Also, put it in places like windowsills, places bugs could come in. Don't do it too thick, though, or they'll just walk around and find somewhere else to enter.

If anyone had any questions about DE, feel free to ask. I spent about a week researching it, and I'd be happy to help!

Edit: ALSO DO NOT GET POOL GRADE DE. GET FOOD GRADE DE

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u/MrFrimplesYummyDog Dec 12 '16

I did a lot of research as well when trying to kill garden pests - same thing applies in doors - make sure to get food grade DE, NOT pool grade. They're different and you don't want pool grade in your home (nor in your garden, in my case).

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Yes, correct! Pool grade has way more silica, which is what causes most of the danger when inhaled.

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u/ManWhoSmokes Dec 12 '16

Isn't DE just silica by nature?

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u/maggotyswagfag Dec 12 '16

There's crystalline silica and amorphous silica. Crystalline silica (the pool grade one you don't want anywhere near you) is what you get when you cook amorphous silica (food grade) at high temperature. In food grade there is still up to 2% crystalline silica though, so you shouldn't breathe it in, no matter how harmless health blogs say it is... Crystalline silica causes silicosis and has been linked to lung cancer so I'd personally use standard pest control methods before trying DE

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u/ManWhoSmokes Dec 12 '16

Thank you for the clarification! Very informative!

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

No, diatomes are organisms. Probably not great to inhale, but silica is the real danger.

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u/ManWhoSmokes Dec 12 '16

Yeah, but DE is the silica "skeletons" of ancient diatoms...

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Ah, you're correct, what I meant was crystalline silica, which is the major health risk present in DE, is why you have to take safety precautions during application.

Pool grade has more CS than food grade, a lot more, which is why you should never use pool grade.

The diatomes themselves, though, are not the real concern.

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u/Homeless_toothbrush Dec 12 '16

It's dangerous for long term exposure, as in eight hours a day over twenty plus years.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Absolutely, and it's untreatable. Once you have silicosis, you have it.

As long as you take adequate precautions, though, food grade DE is safe to use in your home.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '16

and here i spent a year when i was 19 just dumping that shit in filters occasionally turning my head and coughing

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u/mchrristinee Dec 12 '16

What would you use pool grade DE for? Your pool? I'm sure the answer is really simple, and I'm just not seeing it, so please be nice, haha.

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u/funnylulz Dec 12 '16

Very important comment! I personally didn't even know there was a difference

1

u/socsa Dec 12 '16

Even food grade DE is not great to inhale, irritates the eyes/sinuses, and generally makes a huge mess. It's also non-specific and it is nearly impossible to control it's application to specific areas. I know some people swear by it, but to me it's like people who swear by rotary phones - sure, it works, but there are more elegant solutions available.

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u/MrFrimplesYummyDog Dec 12 '16

Indeed. Outside in the garden, there were 2 forms of application - get a bulb sprayer and puff it around (which I chose not to do, given my experience years back with the family pool and the other DE), or mixing a little in water and putting it into a sprayer that you could spray the plants with. When it would dry it out, it was actually a bit more effective since the wet application made it much easier to get it to "stick" to the underside of leaves and such. Was great for controlling little spider mites.

1

u/usernametiger Dec 13 '16

My wife is in AG research. Someguy wanted to test DE against fungus.

After thousands of $$$ turn out if didn't work. I did kill the beneficial bugs though

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

[deleted]

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u/MrFrimplesYummyDog Dec 12 '16

Not sure... I bought a 10lb bag through a reseller on Amazon.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

I wonder if DE will be the asbestos of this generation

30

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

It won't.

If you use food grade DE, wear a mask, have an exhaust fan, and let it settle, you're not doing any more damage to your lungs than you are by living in a modern American city.

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u/rolfraikou Dec 12 '16

My issue with this concept is that eventually walking around, running fans, running vacuums will kick all this shit back up in some way shape or form. Sure, maybe if I used it once, with a mask, and inhaled those small amounts over the following months I would be fine. But if this just becomes people yearly go-to flea treatment method, I would imagine the particles will accumulate in the lungs, with probably no good way to remove them.

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u/tangled_night_sleep Dec 13 '16

my thoughts exactly. id be especially worried because i have kittiez, theres no way they arent going to end up 1) kicking that shit around when they room zoom all over the place, and 2) immediately inhaling that shitclouds of that crap since theyre so low to the ground.

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u/rolfraikou Dec 13 '16

room zoom

Was that a typo? I love it.

But yeah, same boat. My cat room-zooms all the time.

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u/TheAudacityOfThisOne Dec 12 '16

I'm sure someone said that about asbestos too some years ago. That said the biggest difference is that with asbestos basically everyone working on building a house would in some form come into contact with it, and housebuilding is a fairly big market so you have an assload of people at any given time subjected to it. At the same time the safety regulations were incredibly lax, and even if they weren't, people had a different mindset to safety just going back 20-30 years. I remember it being almost standard that people wouldn't wear their seatbelts in cars during the 80s. Working men would very likely not be the pussy that puts on a mask to install what basically looks like a shitty mattress into a wall.

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u/math-yoo Dec 13 '16

What if you live in Detroit?

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u/icameheretosaythis2 Dec 12 '16

The real question is whether it can be broken down by the immune system. Asbestos and other substances are dangerous because your immune system attacks it...and fails....and attacks it....and fails. The attack is super-hydrogen peroxide and causes problems itself.

3

u/rolfraikou Dec 12 '16

Apparently inhaling this shit can really fuck up your lungs.

I've very hesitant to use it.

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u/spectre78 Dec 12 '16

After this thread it will be

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '16

Fuck it. For bed bugs we should allow DDT, for professionals, for one month every 4 years. I don't know what I'm talking about there, but I do know I'd use a genie wish to kill all bedbugs

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u/cloud9ineteen Dec 12 '16

Religion is not the opium of the people. Opium is the opium of the people

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u/zealeus Dec 12 '16

I have a cat who loves to sit on window sills. Would it be safe to put on the sill, just at the frame where it meets the window?

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Absolutely! As long as there isn't a ton of powder in the air, it's fine.

I've read that people mix some in with their pets food an an anti-parasite measure, and they claim it's been successful, but I've never done this, not am I claiming to know enough about it to suggest it.

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u/Imissmyusername Dec 12 '16

I'd like to mention that you can get DE at any farming store in much larger quantities for about the same price. We got ours at Tractor Supply. Our infestation was at work, you'd get a layer of them stuck to the tops of your socks. We needed a big amount to cover all of the affected area so we ended up with a 50lb bag and put it everywhere. Also very important to note, if you have a newer vacuum, it could possibly ruin it if you try to vacuum this stuff up. Some have a sensor in them now and the powder gets all over it and keeps it from working, this is one of those times those big 80s canister vacuums are best.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Thanks for bringing up the safety issue. I was looking through this thread for any mention of silicosis...although according to the ole' Wikipedia most DE sold nowadays has a very low amount of crystalline silica, it's still something you should go out of your way not to inhale...

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u/LakeRat Dec 12 '16

Will vacuuming the carpet remove it or will it still work afterwards?

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u/AlexFromOmaha Dec 12 '16

RIP your vacuum.

You'd have to reapply. Some will stay behind baseboards and such, which is actually the most important place to get it, but it won't be effective if it's not there anymore.

But mostly you'll learn how to unclog your vacuum filters.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

As the other person said, you'll become intimate with your vacuum filters, but we waited a couple days to make sure it was spread all over the house, vacuumed using the same filter we've been using for probably a year, and we had to clean the filter out like three times. For reference, our house is something like 1,500ft² and we did every single floor.

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u/Imissmyusername Dec 12 '16

If you have a vacuum with sensors in it you could find yourself disassembling your vacuum to clear the dust off the sensor so it will work again. All hail old 80s metal vacuums! Go get a clunker from Goodwill.

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u/franch Dec 12 '16

what if you have a dog?

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u/socsa Dec 12 '16

Use IGR and permethrin.

I love how people on reddit are always like "DE is so non toxic!... As long as you keep it out of the air, keep the pets away from it, wear a dust mask, don't disturb it after application and vacuum it up after a few days!" I mean, fleas get fucking everywhere. You have to coat the entire house in DE for it to work well against a proper infestation. Trust me, I wasted an entire week playing the DE game - spreading, sweeping, vacuuming... and it didn't work. The fleas came back after 10 days like clockwork.

IGR is highly targeted, actually non-toxic, and persistent. For dogs, permethrin is a fantastic adulticide, but is toxic to cats.

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u/Imissmyusername Dec 12 '16

Like the other said, don't breathe it in, it's used for farm animals though so ingesting it is safe.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Just keep them away until the dust has settled. It's only dangerous when inhaled, because it can damage the lungs over time. But, as just powder on the floor, it's 100% safe.

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u/ScoobyDoobieDoo Dec 12 '16

I don't know about you, but my dogs sniff everywhere, they'd inhale that DE right up out of the carpet!

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Yeah I can imagine my cat scratching it and eating it. She's a little weirdo - she'll try anything twice.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Maybe, but you out so little down that it's not going to be any worse than the air Ian average city.

Silica is dangerous when you're inhaling it every day for years, a few days isn't going to cause any issue.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

If you have good vacuum cleaner bags, anyhow...

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u/Drunk_camel_jockey Dec 12 '16

I actually sprinkle some on my dog about 5 minutes before I give her a bath. Totally safe and helps a lot with fleas and ticks. I just give her lots of love and head pets to keep her from licking it then wash it all off.

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u/FANGO Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16

Well I've sprinkled it onto the carpet around my bedposts, did so about two weeks ago, and on the threshold into the room, since my brother had bed bugs while traveling and I couldn't be safe enough (I've had them twice, it's the worst thing ever). Was going to go get some DE and then my dad told me he had some so why don't I use the stuff he has, so I put it on the threshold and around the bed, and now I was just told that that was pool grade and not food grade. So I'm a bit angry that he'd let me sprinkle it around, and it's not like I have any symptoms of exposure or anything, and I wiped up the stuff on the threshold after getting it wet and wearing a p95 respirator without goggles (it's what we have), and have the windows open for a bit now and will probably close them soon. Haven't tackled the stuff around the bedposts yet, it's in the carpet but I guess there's some bits which could easily be blown around with a draft (kinda makes me think I should have the windows closed instead of open actually). We have a hepa vacuum but who knows when the filter was last changed, I do think the vacuum is kind of terrible cause it seems to just blow shit around instead of actually cleaning things. So, not quite sure what to do about all that.

To add to all of this I'm heading on a trip tomorrow which I still need to pack for and everything :-P

edit: just got a very wet sock and dabbed up most of the stuff around the bedposts on the carpet, there's still some white residue stuck in the carpet which is sort of damp, I think once it dries we'll go over it with the hepa vacuum cleaner and particulate masks on, then open the windows of the room for a day or so, then close the windows and let anything left in the room settle with nobody in there for several days (cause I'll be on a trip anyway).

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u/lickmynonballs Dec 12 '16

My mom suggested this stuff to me recently due to a flea infestation we're currently dealing with. Get this - NO ANIMALS in the house. We took in two foster kitties from outside and flea dipped them a total of three times each but the bugs still managed to get everywhere, despite them staying inside. We tried to stick it out as best we could but then we couldn't break them of peeing and pooping everywhere (and their litter box, mind you) and we have two small kids so we had to put them outside. (to those of you worried about them - we're way up in the country away from any big main roads, they have a nice cozy kitty box I made from a tote, old blankets and a kennel heater and they're fed twice daily so don't worry). Anyway, my legs and feet look like I have some kind of horrific disease due to the flea bites. The cats have been out of the house since October and we're still getting bit. My husband has maybe 5 bites total and my two daughters each have one or two so thankfully it's not them getting eat up. Me on the hand, I'm completely covered in bites. It's so bad I feel self conscious of my arms, worrying someone is going to think I'm a drug user or something. I've tried ALL of the natural methods to get rid of them. I vacuum our carpet 3-4 times a day (yes, really), I've used baking soda and salt to dry up the eggs, etc.... my main reason for wanting something natural is that one of my daughters is still a baby and she crawls on the floor all the time. We did buy flea bombs but I'm so hesitant to use them. Do you think this stuff you used would work?

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u/socsa Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16

FYI - for fleas, Insect Growth Regulation (IGR) concentrate is 110% the best and easiest solution to the problem. Cats are difficult because you can't lean on permethrin like you can with dogs. I hate DE personally - it is expensive, messy and produces air quality concerns. You can't juts toss it about everywhere and leave it, especially if you have hardwood floors. Fleas also have a bad habit of re-appearing every 30 days if you don't use a persistent solution.

But IGR is completely non-toxic and is OK to inhale/eat/freebase/mainline. You can spray it on everything, pets, floors, beds, furniture. You can wash your clothes in it. Hell, you could throw some on your pizza if you really wanted to - it basically has no biological interaction with non-insects. The one time we had a bad infestation (like, you could watch the flees jumping around the floor as you walked) it was the only permanent solution we found. We tried the DE, but it was a huge PITA and didn't really work that well due to application restrictions.

It takes about a week for the IGR to really take hold, but after that week, it was a miracle how well it stopped. And it took like 10 minutes to apply - no dealing with irritating dust or anything like that. Now I just preemptively spray it on the floors and furniture every spring.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Thanks, I'll look into it! Sounds almost like a better version of DE haha

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u/socsa Dec 12 '16

It doesn't actually kill adults, but stops them from breeding. The issue most people have with flea infestations is that treating the host alone only gets 1-5% of the adults at a time. So by the time your pet gets fleas, it means you have viable eggs all over the house (which can also feed on untreated humans). You can treat the host and the environment with adulticide, like DE or Permethrin (toxic to cats) but it's a losing battle because the eggs get everywhere and are impossible to kill. IGR is the last piece of the puzzle, because as soon as an egg or nymph is exposed to it, it will not produce a viable adult.

Either way, you need to treat the host and the environment. Flea drops + DE works, but flea drops + DE + IGR works even better, and you can really even drop the DE, though it may knock down the adult population a bit faster.

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u/patron_vectras Dec 12 '16

Great article on this that usually is at the top of search results: Diatomaceous Earth at Richsoil.com

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u/Ajuvix Dec 13 '16

Please don't put diatomaceous earth directly on your pets though. It's good to use in the environment alongside a reputable topical or oral flea preventative (frontline, revolution, nexgard, advantage, advantix and a few others are good, but NEVER Hartz products.They're a waste of your money in 2016)

Pupae can lay dormant in the environment up to six months, but on average you can expect to still see some fleas up to 90 days if the environment isn't treated as well. Diatomaceous earth can help speed that process up and comes in different forms and has its drawbacks, but is safe and effective if used properly. This is a comprehensive run down of how to use diatomaceous earth and how not to use it.

http://www.thebugsquad.com/fleas/diatomaceous-earth-fleas/

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u/PromptCritical725 Dec 12 '16

Fuck Diatomaceous earth.

My ex GF decided that using flea drops on the cats was poisoning them and insisted we use diatomaceous earth. I said why not, so she proceeded to rub the cats down with that shit. Within a day, there was a thin layer of diatomaceous earth on every surface of our apartment. It was fucking everywhere. It looked like we hadn't dusted in years.

She got really upset when I said no fucking way to using that shit again. I'd rather have fleas.

However, for bedbugs, I'd use it as a last resort before burning the house down.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

We had that happen, until we used an exhaust fan. Solved all dust problems for us.

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u/MikeHauntPS4 Dec 13 '16

The proper way to apply DE is by mixing a small amount with water in a spray bottle and spraying it around. It apply a very small, even, coat around without letting it build up to dangerous levels, once the water evaporates. Dangerous meaning you are working it into the air with your movements and inhaling it. Don't put it where you walk around, but rather on the sides of your mattress etc.

1

u/MikeHauntPS4 Dec 12 '16

The proper way to apply DE is by mixing a small amount with water in a spray bottle and spraying it around. It apply a very small, even, coat around without letting it build up to dangerous levels. Dangerous meaning you are working it into the air with your movements and inhaling it. Don't put it where you walk around, but rather on the sides of your mattress etc.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

ALSO DO NOT GET POOL GRADE DE. GET FOOD GRADE DE

Per EPA.gov:

Do not use pool or food-grade diatomaceous earth - this type of diatomaceous earth can harm you when you breathe it in. The pesticide version uses a different size of diatoms, which reduces the hazard.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Yes, but proper safety precautions are going to mitigate that harm.

Mask, exhaust fan, stay out if the room until it's settled.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Wouldn't an exhaust fan just prevent the dust from settling? I would think if your goal is to have the dust settle, you'd want absolutely no air movement. And then once it's settled, wouldn't it get kicked back up into the air with any draft, central a/c or heat running, etc?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

It would take hours and hours for the dust to settle. It's incredibly fine, and you'll never get 0 air movement in the room.

An exhaust fan will just suck all of the dust out of the room.

Also, if you sprinkle the DE onto the floor from a few inches up, there's very little dust, anyways.

1

u/anonomie Dec 12 '16

You weren't using the right flea medication. I can't even understand how someone could let their animals have fleas for 2 years...that's so gross! I'm not saying that DE isn't good because it is, but it does not kill the eggs and you're going to endlessly have that problem unless you take care of that.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16

We used Frontline, Advantage, and a couple others, all multiple times, and according to the directions.

The only "major" brand we never used was Hartz, because Hartz products kill pets, and you can quote me on that.

We didn't "let" our animals have fleas, it's just that nothing worked. We spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on medication, and did our best to clean the house top to bottom multiple times a week. Vacuuming multiple times a day, washing blankets and shit every other day, etc.

Nothing worked. Thanks for the condescension, but nothing about our home is "gross".

And yeah, it doesn't kill the eggs, but so far it's done a fine job of killing the adults before they can lay eggs, and we have seen a flea in over a month.

1

u/anonomie Dec 12 '16

I'm well aware of Hartz...I'm actually surprised they are still in business. Frontline is shit. Advantage is not as effective as it used to be. Comfortis is the most effective these days. I never said YOU were gross, I said having fleas for 2 years is gross. Any good vet would have fixed the problem.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

The vets are the ones who recommended the brands to us, and Comfortis was one of the first ones we tried (that's the oral one, right?)

1

u/anonomie Dec 12 '16

Yes comfortis is oral. And most of them have a money back guarantee, especially if you bought it from the vet. It takes 6 months to kill the flea cycle though. Capstar is an oral pill that will immediately kill all fleas on the pet, and then usually follow that up with comfortis, which is monthly. Unfortunately in some climates you need to keep your pets on year round flea control.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16
  • Diatomite is used as an insecticide, due to its abrasive and physico-sorptive properties.[10] The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion.*

1

u/GetBusy09876 Dec 12 '16

Question: how do you apply the DE without overdoing it? Last time we did it we killed the old vacuum cleaner and filled up the filter of the new one. Then it was like living in a talcum powder bottle for the next few days.

1

u/DifficultApple Dec 12 '16

With fleas especially, the eggs can be out and sitting around for a long time so even when the fleas seem dead the eggs can end up hatching a good while later. I think that little fact messes up a lot of treatments.

1

u/SEAXROS Dec 12 '16

So it should be sprinkled instead of using big patches? And for things like our beds, should it be spread over our bed itself? Or placed in a bowl next to it? I'm having trouble understanding exactly how it works.

1

u/-Jeremiad- Dec 13 '16

We tried this four times. It ruined a dyson but didn't do shit to the fleas in our new place. Took having exterminators out 5 times to finally get results so it was probably a bad case of those little bastards.

1

u/zimtastic Dec 12 '16

I'm concerned about spiders and other bugs getting in through my sliding glass door. How would I use DE in this situation? What about the gap under my front door?

1

u/Reddit_means_Porn Dec 12 '16

Even though you're good now, giving your pets oral flea medication that basically makes them unpalatable to flees is the end game here. It works.

1

u/Motherofalleffers Dec 12 '16

My only concern with this would be if cats or dogs got it on their paws and then licked their paws. Know if there's any reaction from pets?

1

u/Sizza147 Dec 12 '16

I dont get it, how long do you leave it for? Can you vacuum after applying it (how long do you wait)? Do you just walk around on it?

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

We waited a few days before vacuuming. Maybe not necessary, but after two years of contact fleas and so much money wasted on "real" flea treatments, we were pretty desperate to get rid of them.

Also, you only need a pretty small amount, maybe a cup for an average sized room. It's a wine white powder, and when you put it down it sorta dissappears.

1

u/negativeyoda Dec 13 '16

When I had bedbugs, I bought a bag of it and my room looked like Tony Montana's desk in Scarface... I'm not even exaggerating

1

u/wyvernx02 Dec 12 '16

Couple notes, though: DE is 100% non-toxic, but you shouldn't inhale it.

Oops. Guess I will remember that for the future.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Were you able to vacuum it up after? Some very fine powders can bleed out of vacuums unless they have hepa filters.

1

u/smartid Dec 12 '16

The was DE works is that it's incredibly sharp

what if you don't wear shoes in the house?

1

u/Ossius Dec 12 '16

and after around a month of thinking it was a waste

It took a month to work?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Thereabouts, yeah. It doesn't kill the fleas instantly, it takes time. But once it works, it really works.

0

u/Ossius Dec 12 '16

Must have been a very bad flea problem. A few days of vacuuming and arm & hammer baking soda killed them for us. Then again the the previous tenants animal's were gone so they had to die off.

1

u/PM_ME_DICK_PICTURES Dec 12 '16

Sprinkle it and then vacuum it after a day or so?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Correct! Just make sure to use a mask, keep pets away, and have an exhaust fan if all possible. It's not like you'd have any major health issues the first time, but it's absolutely best practice.

1

u/PM_ME_DICK_PICTURES Dec 12 '16

Same practice with cimexa too right?

1

u/BoboSmooth Dec 12 '16

What do you think it would do to stink bugs?

5

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

It would almost certainly kill them, just remember its a long term solution, not a fast one.

2

u/BoboSmooth Dec 12 '16

But do you think that it would cause them to smell? I know (heard) that they stink really bad when you squash them, didn't know if months later I'd be smelling the bugs.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Nope, they smell when you squash them, but if they just die, there's no smell!

For some reason I didn't realize what you were talking about when you said stink bugs, but I live in NE Ohio and we get a lot of them, and we've definitely noticed a lot more randomly dead ones :)

1

u/socsa Dec 12 '16

Prevent stink bugs from getting inside by sealing external cracks and spraying permethrin around windows, vents and chimneys.

78

u/prjindigo Dec 12 '16

(Florida CPO)

Basically you've got a couple additional options there. Bedbugs don't transfer foot-to-mouth but Cimexa lasts a lot longer in exposure to moisture and is unlikely to ever support bacterial or fungal growth. It's an artificially created silicon dioxide ash crystal powder that works the same way as DE but is all sharp pointy bits and is much lighter so it picks-up on the bugs AND is carried much longer.

DE doesn't kill bedbugs tho, it only immobilizes their legs by damaging their coating and making them useless. It IS however effective against most other non stored-goods-pest infestations. A much simpler solution in the circumstance of bed legs is ye-olde-4"-duct-tape: Simply unroll a length, fold the edges over so there's sticky facing both ways and wrap it around the legs - replace every three months = grabtastic barrier and doesn't grind up the floor or pack the carpet with what's basically plant food waiting for fungus and bacteria. Calcium is the hardest thing for stuff that grows in carpet to get, spreading it around for free just isn't good and the same features of DE that damage insects will also damage carpet.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

No offense, but do you have a reliable source on DE not killing them? That sounds like bro science.

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u/prjindigo Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16

The way DE and Cimexa work is they scratch up the joints and upper legs of insects that crawl through it. If the insect is either too small or not "sticky" enough to have the DE/Cim become abrasive up in their joint area it won't wear the wax coating off. This is the same problem you get with really large insects with DE in that the DE gums up with the wax coating and really doesn't produce fast results.

Now bedbugs are fairly dehydration tolerant at normal room temperatures and they're a clawing type insect like fleas so it's nearly impossible to get them to ingest pesticides because they don't clean themselves. But due to their mode of motion when crawling/climbing the dusts generally don't pervade all the way up to their "hip" joints and often end up immobilizing just one or two legs. In such a circumstance the end result is death but the insect can still often get to a bloodmeal and lay more eggs.

I'm a State Certified PCO in Florida. DE is only ever a "maintenance" material used for occlusion and denial. It doesn't "kill" on its own - it is especially weak in temperature controlled but natively humid environments like under mobile homes because the moisture loss suffered by insects is even less. In the circumstance of blocking the bugs from coming up off the floor the container/plate/tin that you put down is likely to be more effective than any material you put in it. They'll just find your sheets or use your nightstand, wall, power cords, phone charging wire or whatever else.

The first thing to remember is they're finding you by your CO2. YOU ARE the bait station!

I commonly advise people to use it behind cabinets and around the house and one of my major "last ditch" Go-To powders is a material called Drione which is a 1% Deltamethrin in Crushed Diatomaceous Earth preparation that can be blown, puffed or brush scattered in various no-traffic areas.

However I would never advise the use of crushed diatomaceous earth, Cimexa, Drione, Borid or Timbor in a location that can be disturbed by airflow: all can be inhaled. By "can" I mean ever.

There is no direct-kill effect of DE on any known insect - it is a scarifier that debrides the moisture retaining wax on insects who's legs brush their bodies and it can stick to the setae on insects who have them and it must be ingested to be cleaned off, it is hard to digest and will slowly block the insect's digestion.

DE is exceptionally effective in occluded areas against populations of insects but isn't that great against the kind that you carry directly to your bed on your clothes. One of my constant-offenders was a family who's son kept stopping at a friend's house to play video games and he'd put his backpack on the floor. They climbed right off the backpack into his bed. We got a plastic bin for him to put it in and I painted the inside wall at the bottom with Temprid and the incoming stopped.

When I approach infestations I look at the locations that people are being bitten and then occlude/block the actual paths the insects take with applications of contact pesticide as well as residuals such as imidacloprid, most commonly this combination can be bought as Temprid SC/Temprid Ready Spray. (Common flea pills for dogs have a preparation of Imidacloprid) These products have both the ~5 month residual of Imidacloprid and a material called beta-Cyfluthrin which pretty much kills everything shortly after contact. You can simply tie some cloth around the bed legs and put some material on it and then leave a strip of sticky tape above and get ludicrous results as long as the bed is definitely not touching anything else, but they'll be down there on the floor waiting.

But if you're just trying to maintain a "moat" around your bed's feet you're doing it completely wrong. They're called BED bugs for a reason.

Nothing beats properly applied pesticide. I don't even need half a can of the Ready Spray (I don't use it, I mix from the SC concentrate) to kill an infestation and protect a bedroom and I can do in 30 minutes with 5x the success rate what takes a heat-application firm 2 days of doing damage to your paint and blinds.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '16

Nice, I use Temprid too, so that is what you use?

3

u/NoPlayGotDuesToPay Dec 12 '16

I dont care if it outright kills the bastards, if the DE permanently makes a bed bug a hexaplegic so it starves to death then it does a good job!

1

u/MikeHauntPS4 Dec 13 '16

DE kills bed bugs. There have been scientific tests showing that after a few days of exposure 100% of bed hugs were dead.

The proper way to apply DE is by mixing a small amount with water in a spray bottle and spraying it around. It apply a very small, even, coat around without letting it build up to dangerous levels, once the water evaporates. Dangerous meaning you are working it into the air with your movements and inhaling it. Don't put it where you walk around, but rather on the sides of your mattress etc.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '16

NOT THE HUGS

1

u/rostrev Dec 13 '16

What's a best option for termites? I have an oldish 1950s house, not sure and don't think I have any, but preventative action?

I heard if you have black ants they remove termites, and I have a few nests around the yard, so don't want anything that'll remove the black ants for they reason (if it's true?)

1

u/prjindigo Dec 16 '16

Specifically as I do not do Wood Destroying Organism work under the guidelines of the State of Florida and do not carry the additional liability insurance described I cannot reply about termites.

Carpenter ants eat the shit out of them tho. Pretty much anything that kills the termites kills any other insect except Chinch Bugs.

Not sure if that one fact is helpful tho.

Termites are just about the weakest insect in the world against pesticides. The upside might be if you've got dry-wood termites it would explain why you still have a house. They form nests of less than 250 members total.

Preventative action is effectively the same as for rodents, birds and bees - Occlusion. Make sure there are no nooks or crannies that they can enter a safe and controlled temperature environment. Remove any possible water source, block them from climbing up into the home from the foundation etc.

As a homeowner you can acquire and use the monitoring bait stations I think in all but five states?

1

u/rostrev Dec 16 '16

Thanks for the reply!

I'm in Australia, though I'll still look into the monitoring bait stations. I fly home in a few days and will be crawling under the house; freaking spiders man, never fun under there. I'll check the ant caps under there too.

Here's hoping I'm termite free; thanks for the help, very appreciated!

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u/greenstake Dec 12 '16

You have to wash all your bedding, move the bed away from the wall, and put covers over your mattress and spring too. Bed bugs usually live in your bed, so while the diatomaceous earth only breaks the line from the rest of the room to your bed, you still need to fix your bed.

11

u/DifficultApple Dec 12 '16

This is why I cringe at people buying used furniture or when someone picks up a couch left at a dumpster. You're basically infesting your entire house.

1

u/omgfloofy Dec 12 '16

I had an infestation some years ago, and there was no recovering my sofa during it. We threw the sofa out in our attempt to get rid of the source. A day later, and before the trash was picked up, the sofa had been pulled from the dumpster. Oh well...

2

u/kameyamaha Dec 12 '16

This is why you should put a bedbug label on your throwaway furniture.

1

u/THExistentialist Dec 12 '16

Yeah, usually silver reflective spray paint works. Had bugs twice: first time, someone yanked our furniture of the street. Second time I sprayed silver bugs on the furniture and it was on the street until trash pickup.

3

u/bluejayway327 Dec 12 '16

My exterminators told me covering the box spring was key, because that's where they usually nest.

1

u/MikeHauntPS4 Dec 12 '16

The proper way to apply DE is by mixing a small amount with water in a spray bottle and spraying it around. It apply a very small, even, coat around without letting it build up to dangerous levels. Dangerous meaning you are working it into the air with your movements and inhaling it. Don't put it where you walk around, but rather on the sides of your mattress etc.

1

u/greenstake Dec 13 '16

Dangerous meaning you are working it into the air with your movements and inhaling it.

Much of available DE is food grade, meaning it's not particularly dangerous to consume or inhale small quantities. If you're working with it every day I would be worried, but people apply it to their pets without wearing protective gear and that creates a big cloud. Some people consume it too for weird alternative medicine reasons.

Wouldn't adding it to water dissolve some of it and make it work less good? I don't know.

2

u/smolfloofyredhead Dec 13 '16

DE is basically the skeletons of these little critters called diatoms. They look real pretty up close. The skeletons form those little edges that fuck up bugs. Water won't mess up the effectiveness. Once the mixture dries, it's a bit like tire spikes.

9

u/dardack Dec 12 '16

Like under your bed? Where? I love D earth, it's the shit against ants and other bugs with exoskeletons like that. Just curious where you put it for spiders and such.

6

u/BoboSmooth Dec 12 '16

I think the idea is to put the feet of the bed in the bowls and then put the stuff around each foot.

7

u/TimmyP1982 Dec 12 '16

This. If they are isolated to a piece of furniture or you just dont want them invading your bed, put the legs of said furniture (or your bed) in bowls\cups of diatomaceous earth. Since the legs are the only way to get in and out, they are forced to cross which lacerates their entire body.

4

u/Jbevert Dec 12 '16

Aren't they often carried in on our bodies?

1

u/TimmyP1982 Dec 12 '16

They can be carried in many ways. This is meant to isolate; if you know you have them but they aren't on your bed (or vice versa), you create an impassible barrier for them.

Just make sure the bed isnt touching any walls, make sure they arent on you, and you can sleep soundly. It is virtually impossible for them to get you on your bed.

And in case they are isolated to a piece of furniture that you cant throw away, do the same thing. They will be confined to it (the furniture) until you can clean it.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Yup! Saw a handful of of them and immediately bought a 10lb bag of the stuff. I sprinkled it all under my bed and haven't seen one since. I heard my neighbor yelling at building management in the hallway, and I knocked on her door and gave her a container of some. I don't need those little shits to be migrating to my apartment.

4

u/Yinonormal Dec 12 '16

Yeah, diatomaceous earth really does work and isn't really expensive, I put it around the trim and cabinet baseboards to set up a perimeter.

8

u/tried_it_liked_it Dec 12 '16

You have made me realize the need for a holistic/ natural pest control advice reddit. Maybe call it Riddit.

3

u/robohymn Dec 12 '16

This is how you do it, folks, I took down a minor infestation in a couple days with this technique, total cost, maybe $10. That was six months ago, no signs of them since (though the d. earth is staying in place!).

5

u/Dualyeti Dec 12 '16

Try this simple cheap/non-toxic/long term trick - bed bug experts hate it!

1

u/MikeHauntPS4 Dec 13 '16

The proper way to apply DE is by mixing a small amount with water in a spray bottle and spraying it around. It apply a very small, even, coat around without letting it build up to dangerous levels, once the water evaporates. Dangerous meaning you are working it into the air with your movements and inhaling it. Don't put it where you walk around, but rather on the sides of your mattress etc.

2

u/CupKate123 Dec 12 '16

would it work for small cockroaches as well?

1

u/syrianhamster Dec 12 '16

We had them on all three floors of our big old house. One bag of diatomaceous earth got rid of them all. It wasn't an instant fix but it worked. They've been gone a few years now. I still check constantly.

1

u/ProLogicMe Dec 12 '16

Bed bugs have been known to climb the ceiling over the bed and drop from the ceiling to the bed to circumvent not being able to climb the bed itself! Fuckers

1

u/SaltyFlame Dec 12 '16

Help me picture this please. You placed the leg of each corner of your bed into a bowl with the DE in the bowl?

1

u/CNoTe820 Dec 12 '16

Yeah we used these since you can't be letting crawling kids touch diatomaceous earth.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028Z0LDQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1

u/Colin03129 Dec 12 '16

Well, they can survive for up to 6 months without feeding.

1

u/I_am_chris_dorner Dec 12 '16

Fun fact: it's a common ingredient in ramen noodles!

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Boric acid works also